Guard Frequency Episode 094 | That’s a Big Twinkie

Greetings Citizens and Civilians, you’re tuned to episode 094, of Guard Frequency, the universe’s premier Star Citizen podcast recorded on 23rd October 2015 and released for streaming and download on Tuesday, October 27th 2015 at GuardFrequency.com[Download this episode]

Lennon’s back and is joined by Geoff and Tony to bring you your weekly dosage of Star Citizen goodness, so to kick things off, in this week’s Squawk Box we discuss how the universe might have sprung a leak. In CIG News we bring you everything that’s happening around the UEE including our weekly Crowd Funding Update, 10 for the Allstars episode 1, Star Marine and Star Citizen Alpha 2.0 Development Update, and a little bit of news from us here at Guard Frequency. In Nuggets for Nuggets we take a behind the scenes look at Castra’s new tourism commercial, and finally we tune into the Feedback Loop and let you join in on the conversation.

Priority One Productions are always looking for new team members that have a passion for Star Citizen or the general sci-fi world. Please know that all of our positions are volunteer, but we do offer a well known outlet for your work. If you have a particular skill that you believe could enhance our content, then send your contact information and experience along with a few writing samples to squawk@guardfrequency.com

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Comments (15)

Adon

Sometimes how critical you are of the game or choices being made makes me dislike listening to the podcast, and that’s exactly why I like listening to the podcast. I have three to four other podcasts that I listen to that extoll the virtues of star citizens and ignore any potential problems. As a fan of Star Citizen it’s easy for me to go into echo chamber mode and only listen to opinions that I agree with. I appreciate the service you all give to the community by giving a voice to the things that do need said. I realize this is probably hard on you as you are all just as much invested in this game as I am emotionally…or maybe more, I didn’t start a podcast after all.

If you feel like a format change is needed for you to continue enjoying doing this podcast, while delivering the same critical, fun goodness…then a format change is needed. I completely understand burnout due to negativity surrounding things you love, so do what you need to do to keep on going. I’ll be here listening.

Evangel

Development hasn’t really been all that open this year that is true. But isn’t that because most of what has been worked on has been networking and back-end support? Most of which (correct me if I’m wrong) is lots and lots of math that just makes the game playable. There aren’t really any decisions that backers can help make in that regard. Squadron 42 content likewise cannot be ‘influenced’ because most of us don’t like spoilers to the single player campaign (which was the original kickstarter right?)

Once AC 2.0 and Star Marine becomes available I think that development will open up much more. Once there is content we backers can actually help create. Mission plot lines, star system organization, UI, combat dynamics, non-combat role functionality, etc. Bear with, this will be the darkest year of Star Citizen, the brightest are yet to come.

As always, great podcast guys. I love how you can be critical yet respectful and hopeful. Stay on the course. 🙂

Ryoken

As for the community question. It’s your podcast, do what you want. I’ll listen until I stop enjoying it. There are other games, some I don’t care about and will likely close the browser tab if you focus on one of them, but if SC only isn’t fun for you, do what you have to do.

As for feedback on the episode, it was a little whiney at times, specifically with the open development part. You know why they have closed up a bit, you have a joke section for one of the reasons why and the hostility of the community towards not seeing a “maybe” when a “hopeful date” is given is “missed”. Development also cannot be a two way street, I don’t want this game developed by committee, that would be a garbage game.

We as backers aren’t CIG’s bosses. They want our feedback and are well within their right to take the feedback and ignore it if the ideas don’t mesh with what CR wants. We all backed to let CR make the game that CR wants to make. That’s been the idea right from the start, at least that’s how I’ve understood it and I’ve been here from the beginning, golden ticket and all.

As to wanting to avoid combat all together, that’s never been on the table. The slider was a way to appease some people, but it was never said to completely remove combat. CR has also joked that there might be areas where the AI will be ramped up so you’ll want to fight other players instead. I don’t think we’ll get around combat at all. Comparing this to ED isn’t really fair. The NPCs in Elite are jokes. I’ve gotten interdicted in a type 9 without shields more times than I can count. I boost until I can FSD away and continue on my way. There’s no sense of danger and that removes some draw to play.

You guys do great work and ask some tough questions, sometimes you sound overly whiney to me, but I still come back week after week. Keep it up, like I said earlier, if you cover something I don’t care about, I’ll tune out until the next week and go from there.

Erik (Nefario)

Your shows are always good and I’m excited to know your next 100 shows will cover even more space sims; great change. I was particularly keen on listening to your shows during the D. Smart rants because I could learn about the big issues from people who’s opinions I trust.

Also… Where the Fuck is the First Person Shooter? It has seriously been a long time….. I’m of the opinion it really doesn’t need to be great; just done!

Kylon

I don’t usually give feedback but since you asked I thought it couldn’t hurt. If you feel the need to have a format change to stay fresh and relevant then I’d say go for it. I however listen for the Star Citizen content. A mention or nod to other games or space in general is interesting but if I wanted to know about other games I would look for shows that cover those already.

Schmunkel98

I say thee nay to changing the format! Stay focused on Star Citizen! This is one of the very few groups that covers the game that I can count on to not blindly accept everything they hear and see from CIG as sprinkled with awesomeness and actually give a real opinion. For example, your take on Citizencon being mediocre was exactly how I felt. I remember actually screaming in my car “Finally, someone gets it!” while listening to the show. If you are running low on content(or motivation), I would have more fans on to discuss the game.

Tytis Kraiger

Look, your cast is my primary means of unbiased information on SC. I do not have the luxury of time or bandwidth resources to take in all the information out there on SC. I cant afford to lose your format on SC. Having said that its clear your tired of regurgitating the same key issues and the prospective solutions. Its clear we have reached the point as in all projects that its truly time to keep elbows and assholes up and heads down. Not much changes until the job is done. You’ve postulated that FPS is the guts of the project. Tony ur wrong again. FPS is the backbone. The very structure from witch all limbs and guts of the project stem from and are held. CIG has had to work all their initial progress backwards to meet this restructuring. Like a really nice house built on a bad foundation; CIG is going through the extra work to lift the house in order to rebuild the foundation. During this time not much changes and only the same funny line from The Money Pit can be said “2 weeks”. In-fact CIG says that allot from what I gather.

So unless something ground breaking or really noteworthy develops on the SC side Id say play :12 to :33 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLcjUmBncZ8
for the news segment. Maybe discuss ships like u used to then move on to other topics from other like genre games. SC has given life to the phoenix that is the space genre. Id love to hear more about other games out there to explore while waiting for SC to finish. It wont be a change u hold to for long I suspect, but it will help u guys take a break as it were from trying to find new ways to say the same thing. So make the format change for now. Let INNside the verse take care of the smalls. Ill still come to the Guard to get the balanced view of key SC topics.

broc

“you’re just saying the same things over an over again” sums it up nicely.

There’s plenty of stuff they could show us that would make us happy, every leak we’ve had proves that. Making “open development” a relative term is just giving CIG the benefit of the doubt.

There’s reasons large portions of the internet have verbally abandoned this game. And the only reason large gaming entertainment websites haven’t, is because their user-base is now defending it rabidly instead of crucifying it rabidly. Fickle mobs, the lot of them.. gaming “journalists” included.

As a guy who hasn’t, and won’t, abandon this game, I’ll quote the words of a guy who’s put in over $50,000 into this game: it’s not hard to realize why people are so critical of Star Citizen. Simple as that.

And another thing,

you guys are awesome and I hope you never quit doing what you are doing.

KJLTaiwan

First off, I want to say thanks for making Tuesdays that much more bearable. I’ve been listening religiously to this show ever since the last PAX Australia.

However, I listen to this podcast for commentary and perspective on one game only, and that’s Star Citizen. This podcast is you guy’s passion project though, and once that passion isn’t there anymore, the project should change course. I’ll still drop in from time to time though if you have something to say about Star Citizen. Also, as I am part of your ingame org, I look forward to meeting you all in the ‘verse.

Re: their open development: I feel like a lot of it has closed up because frankly, we as a community haven’t really demonstrated that we have the patience and maturity for it. We ask CIG to show us stuff that’s work in progress, then criticize them for showing things that are ugly and incomplete. We supposedly back them so they can do this game right and not rush it (rush as if they were under the thumb of a publisher), yet constantly grill them for missing an estimated release window. (Emphasis on estimate). We don’t allow them any kind of development flexibility, and our criticism for even the slightest perceived deviation means they are less keen to release stuff if it can even possibly change in the future (most recent example: the Archimedes as a “racer” and that worthless controversy). Eventually, that wears on you. The negative and unfounded articles by he who shall not be named and gaming “press” haven’t helped either.

Cyril

I’m a space sim fan in general so at first glance I’m all for the format change. Then it hit me:
1. I like space sims
2. Space sims take money to buy
3. If I hear about more space sims I will want to buy them…

Maybe its time for a kick-starter for a wallet retention device that has a little microphone and will disable your ability to go to paypal or type in a credit card number for 48 hours after hearing any games mentioned in a pod cast?